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The Indianapolis Cols have been staging one of the most fascinating quarterback battles in all of football this fall, with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones battling it out for the starting job. On Tuesday, that competition came to a stunning conclusion.
The Colts have named Jones the Week 1 starter, while Richardson will be the backup, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
This decision comes as a big surprise, as it seems like Shane Steichen and the rest of his staff are out on their 2023 first-round pick. Jones, who was exiled from the Giants last season, was brought in as training camp competition this offseason but was not expected by many to win the job.
The Colts selected Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with the hope that he would become the franchise quarterback before too long, but that has clearly not materialized as of yet. After showing some promising signs as a rookie, Richardson struggled with injuries over the past two seasons before he was benched for Joe Flacco during the 2024 season.
Part of the decision to bench him stemmed from a decision to take himself out of a game against the Houston Texans last season due to fatigue, a very unusual decision for a starting quarterback to make. On top of that, Richardson has struggled with his accuracy and decision making at times during his career.
Jones was also known as somewhat of a turnover machine during his time with the Giants, which led Brian Daboll to move on from him. However, he has still racked up nearly 15,000 yards and 70 touchdowns in his career. While he doesn't provide the same explosiveness on the ground that Richardson does, Jones can still get the job done with his legs at times.
The Colts clearly have been impressed with Jones during training camp and the preseason, while Richardson has continued to underwhelm. Now, Steichen and company are hoping that results in a lot of wins for the team this season.
